K-pop Group ILLIT Just Broke a Major Record

K-pop group ILLIT is making a "magnetic" impression. On March 25, ILLIT, a new five-member girl group from HYBE/BELIFT LAB, officially released their first mini album, SUPER REAL ME.

South Korea's Hanteo Chart reported that SUPER REAL ME sold a staggering total of 380,056 copies in the first week of its release (March 25 to 31), setting a new record for the highest sales of a debut album for a girl group to date, reports Soompi. NewJeans, another rookie girl group of HYBE, set the previous record back in August 2022, when their self-titled debut EP "New Jeans" sold 311,271 copies in the first week of its release.

Due to SUPER REAL ME's record-breaking sales, it not only holds the record for the highest first-week sales of a debut album by a girl group in Hanteo history but has also secured the fifth spot for the highest first-week sales of any debut album. On top of that, the K-pop girl group's title track, "Magnetic," entered Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart on its very first day of release, making this a first for any K-pop girl group. 

Furthermore, in addition to setting a new record for the fastest entry by a K-pop group into Spotify's Weekly Top Songs Global, the group obtained the highest streaming record on the debut day for any K-pop group, with the song "Magnetic" debuting on the Chinese music streaming service QQ Music. In addition, "Magnetic" has also made it into Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at #102. It was previously predicted that the group would enter the Hot 100 this week at #99. However, ILLIT didn't make the list because many US/UK artists dropped new releases in the same week. 

Formed from the competition show R U Next?, ILLIT members Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha recently spoke to Teen Vogueabout how they're dealing with the success of their debut single "Magnetic" and what they think makes the group stand out in such a competitive field. "It's difficult to clearly define what makes us stand out," Yunah told Teen Vogue. "I think we're all naturally different. Even within ILLIT, all five of us have distinct personalities and it shows in everything we do, from how different our facial expressions are on stage to our vocal tones. I think being who we are will allow us to stand out."

Moka added,  "When we're together as a group, we all bring out the playful side of each other and we become a little mischievous, maybe even more daring? I feel like we have the kind of energy that people would want to be around, go on fun adventures together."